Saturday, February 12, 2011

Images of Bangkok 2

There are many different ways to get around Bangkok, although the traffic jams make some choices better than others. Every second car seems to be one of the colourful taxis - in yellow, blue, green, orange and pink.


Soi Ekkamai is one of the worst streets in the city. The fastest way to get through the cars and buses is on a motorbike as they weave their way around it all. You can see the BTS in the distance. Fortunately I am walking distance to catch the skytrain.


Getting above the traffic is a smart idea. The BTS or skytrain is Bangkok's modern mass transit system and it works well with good coverage in the city. The new Airport Line opened recently and has been a great addition and the plan is to add more lines in the future.




There are lots of buses all over the city and they are very very cheap. Most have been converted to Natural Gas which is great but it is a very slow way to get around. The Pink 133 is quite a sight!


You will find motorbike taxi drivers at strategic points all over the city. It can be a bit of a hair raising journey but they are a very popular way to cover shorter distances quickly.


Most of the women ride side saddle. Not sure how they stay on!


The Tuk Tuk is a bit of a Bangkok institution but it is mainly a tourist attraction. They are very noisy and you get to breath in all of the vehicle emissions.


After you have lived in an area for a while you discover a network of little back streets that avoid the traffic jams. My taxi driver, Khun Tuck, uses them each day to get from my condo to the main road that takes me to school. They are very narrow with blind corners but do save plenty of time.



You may even stumble upon a classic like the old VW below!

1 comment:

  1. Finding your photos of Bangkok most interesting. I guess the women riding side saddle is an acquired art. Keep up the good work John.

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